Core workouts may ease neck pain and improve posture
NCT ID NCT07365917
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Aug 26, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study tested whether adding core stabilization exercises to standard physical therapy helps people with cervical radiculopathy (a pinched nerve in the neck). Forty adults with neck pain and forward head posture were split into two groups: one received only standard therapy (heat, TENS, ultrasound, manual therapy, and strengthening), while the other also did core exercises for 30 minutes, three times a week for four weeks. Researchers measured changes in the craniovertebral angle (a measure of forward head posture) and functional disability using a neck pain questionnaire.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- core stabilization exercises
- What this could lead to
- If successful, adding core exercises to standard physical therapy could improve head posture and daily function for people with neck pain from cervical radiculopathy.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, completed trial with only 40 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The exercises are an addition to standard care, not a standalone treatment.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 40 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Feb 2026
- Expected to finish
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Sep 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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35 to 50 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Patients with Posterolateral cervical disc proplapse at level of C5-C6 and C6-C7 levels 2. Neck Disability Index (NDI) score exceeding 20%. 3. Neck pain of mild to moderate intensity (VAS ≥ 3). 4. Their symptoms lasting for a duration exceeding six weeks 5. Three out of four elements are positive in the following tests: spurling test, distraction test, upper limb tension test, shoulder abduction test. 6. Body mass index should not exceed 30 kg/m². 7. Patients complaining from neck pain and unilateral radicular pain, parathesia, motor manifestations or hyporeflexia 8. Their age will range from 35 to 50 years. 9. Their craniovertebral angle is less than 49 degrees. 10. Their mean of cervical joint position error is larger than 4.5 degrees. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Cervical mylopathy or spinal tumors 2. History of cervical spine surgeries 3. Cervical fractures 4. Vertebrobasilar insufficiency (VBI) 5. Bone Infection
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Faculty of Physical Therapy Cairo University
RECRUITINGGiza, Egypt
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